The Sign of Four

The Sign of Four is the second story by Conan Doyle about the exploits of Sherlock Holmes. From the moment Mary Morstan tells Holmes about the mysterious disappearance of her father and the yearly gift of a pearl from an unknown benefactor, Holmes and his companion Watson are involved in an exotic tale of stolen treasure, secret oaths and murder, culminating in a breath-taking chase down the Thames. Holmes is on top form, and Watson falls in love.

I am a big fan of David Timson's audio performances, he makes it look easy! He lends terrific narration to Watson, Holmes and all of the other characters in The Sign of Four. I hadn't read this story in quite a while and it was relieving to see it was as good as I remember it! The violins that accompany the end/beginning of each part really adds to the performance. This story is highly recommended - don't hesitate and get it now!

Dark Matter

January 1937. Jack Miller has just about run out of options. His shoes have worn through, he can't afford to heat his rented room in Tooting, and he longs to use his training as an specialist wireless operator instead of working in his dead-end job. When he is given the chance to join an arctic expedition, as communications expert, by a group of elite Oxbridge graduates, he brushes off his apprehensions and convinces himself to join them.

What a great book! I really liked the subtle spookiness and atmosphere the story has. The sense of isolation and the mental effect it had on the protagonist was written very well. I thought the supernatural elements were not too overbearing and complemented the story well. If you are looking for over-the-top gore and in-your-face horror, look somewhere else! However, if you enjoy a slowly built story with lots of chilling events that you think of long after you have finished the story, check this one out!

The House of Lost Souls

The Fischer House was the scene of a vicious crime in the 1920's-a crime which still resonates as the century turns. At its heart was a beautiful, enigmatic woman called Pandora Gibson-Hoare, a photographer of genius whose only legacy is a handful of photographs and the clues to a mystery. Paul Seaton was lured to the house 10 years ago and escaped, a damaged man. Now three students will die unless he dares to go back. But this time he has ex-soldier Nick Mason at his side.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked some of the story set in the past, and generally liked the overall plot. However, there were parts that didn't really need to be in there and sometimes it felt like parts kept on going for way too long. The ending was...interesting. It was very unexpected and felt like the author just wanted to wrap things up in a hurry. But it did make you think, and correlated with some of the events that happened in the story's past. I found myself thinking about the book the next day, and linking up the ending with what had happened previously. In my mind the stories that you think of after you have read it are the good ones. I recommend The Colony by the same author, which is very good, and am looking forward to checking out more by Cottam.

The Colony

For over a century, the New Hope Island vanishing has tantalized the world. How did 150 people disappear from a lonely Hebridean island, leaving no trace and no clues? Media magnate Alexander McIntyre decides to solve the mystery, and gathers a team of experts to mount an expedition to the island. He hopes running the story as a rolling exclusive will revive the fortunes of his flagship news-stand title. He hopes to find conclusive answers to questions that have teased a curious world for decades. And he wants his own secret theory triumphantly vindicated.

This is my first listen to a book by both Cottam and Rintoul. Cottam has a great writing style, with an old-style feel to it. David Rintoul's UK accent is easy on the ears and does a fantastic job with the voices, especially the spooky ones! I won't spoil it, but one voice near the end really creeped me out! Looking back, the story is fairly simple, but the way the author teases it out really draws out the suspense. He does great character development, which seemed a bit long to me, but by the time they reached the island I had no problem knowing who was who and wasn't confused by too many characters (even though there are quite a few). If you like a good supernatural mystery with a historical bent, check this one out! Highly recommended!

Doug Bradley's Spinechillers, Volume 12: Classic Horror Short Stories

Volume 12 begins with Doug Bradley's well-researched insight into the stories and their authors. This is followed by what H. P. Lovecraft considered to be one of his best stories, "The Music of Eric Zann". "The Tool" by W. F. Harvey is a horrifying tale narrated by an inmate of a mental institution. Next Edgar Allan Poe revisits his terrifying fear of being buried alive in "The Premature Burial". Then an eavesdropper overhears five creepy and scary ghost stories in Charles Dickens "To Be Read at Dusk".

Spinechillers Volume 12 has done it again with another great collection of classic horror and ghost stories. All of the stories were a pleasure to listen to, with Doug Bradley doing a fantastic performance as always. I especially liked the readings of The Music of Erich Zann and The Tool. To Be Read at Dusk is not a story I enjoy, but hearing it read by Mr. Bradley made it a bit more tolerable. The Moonlit Road is one of those stories that I was on the fence about whether I liked it or not, but after having listened to it in this collection I'm leaning more towards liking it. Make sure to pick this and all of the other Spinechillers audiobooks up if you are a fan of classic horror!

This collection of short stories contains several gothic tales to bear macabre and chilling witness to writers as diverse as Rudyard Kipling, Guy De Maupassant, Edgar Allan Poe, Arnold Bennett, Daniel Defoe, Edith Nesbit and M.R. James. These tales are designed to unsettle you, just a little, while you sit back, and take in their words as they lead you on a walk to places you’d perhaps rather not visit on your own. Our stories include "My Own True Ghost Story" by Rudyard Kipling, "The Horla" by Guy De Maupassant, and more.

I really enjoyed this selection of stories! As a lover of classic horror and ghost stories, these really fit the bill. The stories that particularly stand out are The Horla, In the Dark, and A Warning to the Curious. Ian Holm gives an outstanding performance in The Horla, the best I have heard so far! The only complaint I have is that in a few of the stories you can hear something of a pre-reading, like somebody is whispering the story a second or two ahead of the narrator. It didn't bother me that much, and this audiobook is highly recommended!

I hear that people either love or hate this story by M.R. James. As you can tell by the rating I gave it, I love it! David Collings has a great voice, and does accents very well. I especially liked his voicing of Collings. At only an hour, it's an easy listen so give it a go. Hopefully you're one of those ones who loves this story!

I must admit I hadn't read some of the stories in this collection before. I can't say I was blown away with the ones I hadn't heard, but all in all it was a good mix of stories. The narration was very good, and I'll be checking out more audiobooks from The Story Circle. The story that really stood out to me was The Room in the Tower. Excellent narration on this one and the more I read/listen to this story the quicker it is becoming one of my favourites! Pick this one up and give it a listen!

Frozen Frights, Volume 1

"You never think to look at the weather when you ice fish." So begins one man's amazing journey onto frozen lakes of Minnesota. Trapped by a vicious storm, a fisherman holds on against the horrifying thing that comes for him out of the storm.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this audiobook at first - but I quite enjoyed it! There are a number of scary stories, most of which are enjoyable. Only a few of the stories had so-so narration, the rest were good. The subject matter of the stories varies quite a bit, so I'm sure there's something in here for everyone. Recommended!

Classic Tales of Hauntings

Sixteen classic stories from masters of the genre: "The Judge's House", by Bram Stoker; "A Jug of Sirup", by Ambrose Bierce; "The Reconciliation", by Lafcadio Hearn; "The Woman With a Candle" by W. Bourne Cooke; "The Ebony Frame", by E. Nesbit; "On the Northern Ice", by Elia W. Peattie; "The Haunted Doll's House", by M. R. James; "The Old House in Vauxhall Walk", by Charlotte Riddell; "The Underground Ghost", by John Berwick Harwood; "Haunted", by Anon (from Tinsley's Annual); plus five more....

I was surprised with this audiobook - it has a good variety of stories, some of which I haven't "read" before! I was worried about the narration, as there are quite a few voice actors reading the stories, but I was very impressed with the quality! Great narration on all of the stories. The ones that really stood out for me were "The Judge's House", "The Haunted Doll's House", "The Story of the Green House, Wallington" and "The Chippendale Mirror". Some of the stories I didn't care for, but most were hits so I consider it a good purchase. Oh, and no "The Signalman"!!!! WOO! :-)

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